


Calling It: Bittersweet Promises

by deityparody



Series: Calling It [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Bittersweet, Brotherly Bonding, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Ice Cream, Implied/Referenced Character Injury, One Shot, Tim Drake is Robin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 13:06:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18829258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deityparody/pseuds/deityparody
Summary: Dick takes Tim out for ice cream.  Then feelings happen.





	Calling It: Bittersweet Promises

**Author's Note:**

> So, I felt like I've been a little rough on Dick in the last few chapters so I wrote this!
> 
> See end of chapter notes for a trigger warning.
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy!

Tim’s palms were _not sweating_.

They weren’t.

He’d just been holding his water bottle, and there was condensation on it. 

That’s all.

Because Batman’s Robin could _not_ be nervous about being called to the principal office.  That would be ridiculed.  No matter what his other classmates said (more precisely, _oooo_ ), when his English teacher told him that he was being requested in the office.

The only time Tim had ever been called to the office was when he was eight; his parents had remembered that it was his birthday (it wasn’t) and wanted to tell him they would be home that weekend to see him (they weren’t).

Tim lightly taps the door, hoping beyond hope that nobody would be there.  Or that it had been a mistake.  Tim could understand that.  Mistakes happened all the time. 

Alas, the door swung open to reveal a secretary.

“Uh, hi, Mr. Grand.  I was told the principal wanted to see me?” Tim’s voice totally did _not_ squeak.

Mr. Grand ushers Tim into the office before shutting the door behind them. “Ahh, yes, Mr. Drake, good, good. Very good to see you, indeed.”

Is he high?

Tim mentally goes through the list of known staff members who… _indulged_ in such things.

Not that Tim really blamed any of them; if he had to deal with hormonal teenagers for his entire career, he’d smoke too.

Mr. Grand takes no notice of Tim’s mental math.  Instead, he starts patting Tim on the head.

Tim stares at Mr. Grand nonplused. It takes Tim a moment to realize Mr. Grand is still talking to him.

“It’s terrible, truly terrible what happened to your Grandfather.  We just heard.” Mr. Grand shakes his head.

Tim blinks. “Sorry, what?” 

All of Tim’s grandparents all died years ago.  Mother told Tim after he asked if he could stay with them while his parents were on a dig in Peru. 

“No need to be brave, Son, your brother already told us all about.”

_Brother?_

“Told us all about the nasty tumble he took down the stares over the weekend. Don’t worry, I’m sure all your teachers will understand.”

Tim is about to say, “I’m sorry, I think you got the wrong guy,” when the principle’s office swings open to reveal—

“And you’re sure it’s okay if I take him? It’s just such a stressful time for our family.”

Principle Pemm waves the question off. “We completely understand, family comes first.  You and Tim take all the time you need. I’m sure his teachers will understand once they’ve been told.”

“Dick?  What are you—?”

“Timmy!” Tim slightly finches at the name but **thank god** nobody was here to see Dick grabbing Tim and squeezing the life out of him.  Tim barely hears the “follow my lead” that Dick breaths into his hair. Roughly, Dick pulls Tim away so he could see Tim’s face. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I—”

Dick pulls Tim tight again. “Don’t worry, little brother.  All is forgiven.  Grampy Alfie is going to be okay.  You don’t need to worry anymore.”

Tim feels his face heating up. “Uh, okay?”

Wheeling around, Dick turns the red Tim to face the two adults. “Thank you so much for being so understanding!”

Without letting anybody else say a word (and still cuddling Tim), Dick leads Tim out the office doors to the parking lot.  Dick did not let go of Tim until they reached Dick’s motorcycle. 

Tossing Tim a helmet, which Tim catches (thank you, Shiva), Dick says, “get on.”

Tim doesn’t move. “What’s going on, Dick?  All my Grandparents are dead.  Oh god, does it have something to do with our, uhm— _nightlife_?”

Dick cocks an eyebrow. “Nice save. I’ll explain when we get there.”

 Look, if it’s not, _end of the world_ big, then I gotta pass. I’ve got a chem test next class that’s worth half my grade.”

“You can take it next week. Come on.”

Still, Tim doesn’t move. “Remind me, isn’t truancy still a thing, officer?”

“I already took care of that. Now, _come on_ , Tim, they’re gonna get suspicious.” 

“Alfred going to be pissed at you use him as an excuse to get me out of school.”

“He’ll get over it.” 

When Tim still doesn’t move, Dick sighs and adds, “please Tim?” 

Damnit.  Dick _knows_ that’s his kryptonite.

Groaning, Tim puts on the helmet and hops onto Dick’s bike behind him.

*     *     *

Turns out, Dick pulled Tim out of school to take Tim out for—

“Ice cream?”

“Yep.”

“You pulled me out of school, to get _ice cream_.”

“Yep.”

“Why—” Tim starts, but Dick interrupts.

“Tim, shush and enjoy your Rocky Road.” Dick pops his collar against the cold. 

They walk along Gotham’s pier, which was surprisingly empty for one in the afternoon.  It even looked like the ever-present criminal element had decided to take the day off.

They walked in silence for almost half an hour.  Finally, Dick seems to have reached his destination.  He plops down onto a decrepit bench that looked over the ocean. Tim sits next to him on the edge of the seat, nervously glancing between Dick and the ocean.

“Did I ever tell you about the first time I really fucked up when I was Robin and leading the Titans?”

Tim bit his lip.  Sure, he’d read the file (he’d read all the records he could get his hands on), but that’s different.  For one, it had been written by Bruce who had kept it all very… _clinical_. 

He'd never heard any of it from Dick.

It was also something so…personal. 

A family matter.

Something that Tim had no right asking about.

Slowly, Tim shakes his head.

Dick slowly nods. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.  I don’t like talking about it.” Dick pauses, searching for the words. “I wasn’t much older than you.  I thought the Titans and I could hand Trigon without help from the League.” A bitter smile travels across Dick’s lips. “I was wrong.”

“What happened?” 

The words tumble out of Tim’s mouth without his consent.  Before Tim could tell Dick that he didn’t have to answer, it wasn’t any of Tim’s business, Dick was already talking.

“Trigon came for Raven. We’d dealt with it a hundred times before and a hundred times after that.  But,” and Dick did not break eye contact with waves crashing into the beach, “Bruce and I were fighting.  My head wasn’t in the game.  I ended up making a bad call.  And then a second one.  Rae almost got snacked, and BB and Star were in med-bay for over a month.  And it was all my fault.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t.”

“Yeah, it was.  I was their leader.  They trusted me with their safety, and I failed them.  And you know what the worst part was?” Tim shakes his head. “When I finally called the League for backup, and all the fighting was over, Bruce hugged me and wouldn’t let go.” An expression, one that Tim couldn’t quite place, spreads on Dick’s face. “Clark told me later Bruce thought I died.”

Tim isn’t sure what to say, so he doesn’t say anything.  They sit there, watching the waves crash into the beach, while Tim pretends not to see Dick pulling himself back together.

“Garth called me.”

Dread pooled in Tim’s stomach.

Shit. 

Dick knew.

Shitshitshithshitshitshitshitshit.

Garth called, and now Dick knew, and now he’s here talking to Tim and, _oh crap_ , Dick probably already called Bruce and told him so now Bruce knows and now he’s going to lose Robin because Batman didn’t need a Robin who couldn’t even see something that’s an inch from his face and, and, and—

“Tim.  I need you to breathe.”  Dick’s voice is going in and out like an old radio. “Deep breath, in and out.  Come on, Baby Bird; take a deep breath for me.  You can do it. Don’t worry; you’re not in trouble.  I read the report, you made the right call.  Nobody’s mad.”

Right call?

Nobody’s mad?

Yeah, right.

Hysterical laughter reaches Tim’s ears.

Is the Joker on the loose?

No, he’s safely in Arkham. 

Batman and Robin had put him in there the night before.

Then, who was laughing?

“Timbit, you’re okay, but I’m going to need you to stop laughing.”

Oh. 

He’s the one laughing.

That’s not good.

The laughter began to die away.

“That’s great Timmy.  Now, I want you to take a deep breath from me. Can you do that?”

 _Of course, I can Dick.  I can do anything for you._ Tim’s brain says but his lips won’t corporate.

“Come on now, one big breath for me.” 

Air claws its way down Tim’s throat.  After several minutes of Dick rubbing Tim’s back and making soothing noises.

Finally, Tim blinks up at Dick.

“Hi there, Baby Bird.  You okay?”

Not trusting his voice, Tim nods. 

“Can you tell me where your head just went?”

Tim violently shakes his head.

He didn’t want to tell Dick he’d made a bad call. 

A call that almost gotten Cassie and Bart killed.  

A choice that almost let Slade win.

Tim’s expecting Dick to reprimand him.  To fire him. For Dick to tell Tim that he (Tim) wouldn’t be needed anymore.  That the Bats didn’t need any more dead bodies like Jason.

Tim wasn’t expecting for Dick to grab Tim and squeeze him close before whispering, “Okay, you don’t have to talk about it, not if you’re not ready.”

“Really,” Tim’s voice comes out watery. 

“Of course.  But if it makes you feel any better, I read your report.  You made all the right calls.  You made all the call I woulda made.  Or Bruce, for that matter."

"But Bart-"

"Is already running around, driving Iris crazy.  And I talked to Diana, Cassie is fine."

A knot that had been twisted around Tim's heart for the better part of a week, loosened.

"Really?"

"Really.  I would never lie to you.  Us birds need to stick together. I’ll always be here for you, Tim.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> *Trigger Warning*  
> Panic Attack/Anxiety
> 
> Sooooo, yeah, this was supposed to be fluffy. Really fluffy. So fluffy it puts cotton candy to shame. Like, it was just supposed to be about Tim and Dick getting ice cream. That's it. 
> 
> And then they went off and decided to have feelings! >.<
> 
> What am I supposed to do with that?
> 
>  
> 
> [Click here](https://reallyautomaticvoid.tumblr.com) for my tumblr!


End file.
